[Is] “God our Master” ?

If America is about anything, it is about freedom. The state motto of New Hampshire sums up the national attitude quite well: live free or die. During the time of our Revolution, our cause was represented by a flag with a snake on it and the words “Don’t Tread On Me.” The arc of freedom kept rising over time. The abomination of slavery ended in 1865. The right to vote, to obtain gainful employment, and other forms of freedom eventually became available to all adults regardless of race or gender. The only arguments we have about freedom is how far and how fast to extend it. I do not know of anyone who advocates abolishing freedom.

So what do we do with this passage from Matthew’s Gospel? This is not a passage that glorifies freedom. If anything, it seems to glorify … slavery. Some translations of this passage use the word “servants” as a description, but in reality these servants were not free to leave their employ, and they certainly had no bargaining rights. The master gave them orders, and they carried them out … or else. They owned nothing; the master owned everything. They had no rights as we understand them, or at least the only rights or consideration they had came from their master as a gift. Certainly, the word “slaves” is a more accurate description of their status.

This parable is certainly a familiar one. The master is leaving his estate, and before he goes he entrusts each slave with an important task. He has observed their abilities and decides to give them responsibility over a certain amount of money. The first slave receives five talents to invest. The second slave receives two talents. And the third slave receives one talent. Before going further, let me return to a point I’ve made before. A talent was a very large amount of money. It represented what an average laborer could hope to earn in half of a lifetime. Try to imagine. If you had even a minimum wage job for say, 25 years, that would add up to between 250 and 300 thousand dollars. And an ordinary worker can hope for much more than that. So we’re looking at the equivalent of several hundred thousand dollars for the least gifted slave to invest … and twice as much for the middle slave, and five times more for the most gifted slave … perhaps two million dollars for that one.

The master has confidence in all of his slaves, but in differing amounts. He has observed them. He knows what they can accomplish. They all can accomplish something. But obviously there are different levels of potential accomplishment. And that makes sense, doesn’t it? We are more likely to expect Mozart to write a beautiful opera or symphony than a talented music student, for instance. And so the master has different expectations of his slaves. But he does expect each of them to respond with eagerness to what he has given them to do.

We see the results. The most talented slave has doubled the amount of money the master gave him. The second slave has done likewise. Both of them had eagerly invested the master’s money. There was likely a risk involved … you do not receive 100% returns without risk. But they plunged ahead and gained much for their master. He in turn, being a generous master, rewarded them richly. In the context of the parable, the good slaves are rewarded in this life. But is that what Jesus meant, that you will be rewarded for your good use of God’s gifts in this life? I do not think that is the best reading of the passage. Rather, their faithful use of God’s gifts means that the slaves will, in the words of the parable, enter into the happiness of their master. That is something that does exist in this life, although not necessarily in a material sense. The feeling of closeness with God, and the comfort of a clear conscience, are tremendously valuable in themselves.

But the third slave has acted differently, out of what seems to be a mixture of fear and resentment. He feared risking the money he had been given. And he didn’t think much of his master, either, by his choice of words. So he buries the money entrusted to him, and gives back the exact same sum. It had appreciated not at all.

The master is angry. He pointed out that the least the slave could have done was to invest the money with the bankers. It would have gained some interest … probably not 100%, but something (although at that time, banks as we know them barely existed. Conceivably the slave would have run some risk even trying to get a small rate of return). The slave made no effort at all to increase what had been entrusted to him. He was so afraid of making a mistake that he did nothing with what he had been given. And so he was banished to the outer darkness, sent away from his master’s presence. And again, Jesus is pointing to eternity in his description. Over and over again in his parables and other speeches, Jesus points to eternity. And eternity includes heaven, of course, but we are never to forget that it also includes hell.

We learn a number of truths from this parable. First, God is sovereign. He has created us. He has endowed us with certain gifts. He watches us as we use them (or neglect them or even abuse them). He dispenses judgment based on how we use these gifts. If you look at it negatively, it means that nothing truly belongs to us, and we have no rights outside of God’s gifts. God is our master, and to him we owe total obedience. That is a hard teaching to accept. I already talked about the freedom we believe is our birthright as Americans. Among the freedoms we cherish is the freedom to make money for ourselves. Once the government has taken its (big) cut, the rest of it belongs to us. It is our property. And that is true in our human economy, and it makes a fair amount of sense. But in God’s economy, it is very different. All good things come from God. We are only stewards of whatever we have, whether it is wealth, or talent, or intelligence, or whatever it may be. And God expects us to use whatever he has entrusted to us in the service of his kingdom. We are accountable to God. And the more God has entrusted us with, the more he expects from us.

Again, this is a hard teaching to accept in this day and age. Some interpreters of this passage see the third slave as the hero, rebelling against the unfair and cruel master who arbitrarily grants favors and dispenses punishment. Why should the master have so much while the slaves have nothing? The problem is that Jesus did not tell the parable in that way. Jesus told it to reinforce the sovereignty and authority of God, and our human responsibility to him. Now, it is true that Jesus told this parable two thousand years ago, but the truth of the parable has not changed. And that is really the second truth: that God’s Word does not change. It is eternal and unchanging. Even if our sentiments change, God does not. And if we struggle with a passage from Scripture, it is not God’s responsibility to conform his Word to our feelings, but rather our responsibility to conform our feelings to his Word. Consider the Word as a gift to us. How will we use it? Will we allow ourselves to be conformed to the Word and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Or will we put the Word in a compartment somewhere and treat it like a burden that makes unfair demands on us? Isn’t it amazing how God has given us this gift, his will in an understandable way? He has given us all we need to know for our salvation. Are we not grateful for this incredible gift? If so, how will we show our gratitude?

I ask that because God should have our gratitude. In all of the emphasis on God’s power and authority, I would not want to neglect his character. The words of the third slave are simply not accurate. He is speaking from a proud and rebellious heart. From my perspective, a proud and rebellious heart is the greatest barrier to a relationship with God. It is not a matter of the intellect (plenty of smart and educated people believe in God), but simply a matter of pride. But God is gracious to us. He does not have to give us anything. He does not have to entrust us with any resources or gifts. But he does. He gives us the opportunity to use our intelligence, energy, imagination and love in his service (I got those words from the Presbyterian Book of Order … that is one of the ordination questions). And God will honor our sincere use of our gifts. We are called upon to use our gifts, whatever they are, with confidence and hope, and not fear and resentment. God looks for opportunities to bless us. That is the third truth I would point out in this passage.

Let me close with some most provocative questions. Are you a good slave? Do you trust God as your Master? Do you accept the gifts he has given you with gratitude? Will you use them to his service? Do you believe that his judgments are righteous and gracious? If you struggle with this passage, may I ask you to consider some great examples of faith who use their talents to God’s glory, never forgetting to thank him? Will you consider the example of Billy Graham? Will you look to Tim Tebow? They have been given amazing gifts and have never forgotten God. Our gifts may not be as prominent as theirs, but surely we can contribute to the kingdom of God in our own way. Are you ready and willing to do so?

To God alone be the glory. May we give up our pride before him, and bow down to him, and serve him to the best of our God-given abilities. Amen.

I wonder why you want to be a Christian. You make the matter so complicated and unpleasant.

As Christians, we become the children of God. We are family not slaves. Still, children must obey their Father.

God gives us a choice. He tells us we must choose.

Matthew 6:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

So yes, God is our Master, but He is the Master of OUR HOUSE. We are His adopted children.

Jesus tells us serving Him is easy labor.

Matthew 11:28-30 New King James Version (NKJV)

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Seriously! What fool would choose to be a Christian if he did not want to be a Christian?

For the most part, Paul speaks of us as being slaves to sin, not slaves to God.

Nevertheless, if you insist upon being being obstinate, please explain this passage.

1 Corinthians 7:20-24 New King James Version (NKJV)

20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

Citizen;
I wish to thank you for your comments and explanations of which; we’re right on point.

I think that 1st Corinthians 7: 20-24 refers to our vocation of which God places us. Which in my particular situation is “support personnel” for all of the production lines in my portion of the building. Since I am not tied to a particular production line I am afforded greater latitude of movement in order to serve others in both production and service of spiritual needs. To that end [my vocation] I am both a servant of my employer and to God. And, too that, I leave all of the consequences to God the Father.

To which I add, “We are all placed under the authority of others.” God has told us: “By Me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just.” Proverbs 8:15. Whether you were born a slave or a freeman: “Let each one remain in the same calling [vocation] in which he was called.” 1 Corinthians 7:20 New King James Version (NKJV). For “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18. If you were born slave then use that slavery, that bondage, as your testimony as you serve and fear not what man can do to the body, but fear Him who can destroy both the body and the spirit.

Thank you again, Tom for your comments and insight. Both as you know are greatly appreciated.

jesus also said “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

not even as christians are you Slaves. and neither is God the Father your Master, but your Father. there’s the rub, so much contradiction even within the bible itself. not just between the OT and the NT, but even within the NT.
we are not Slaves of an absent and invisible god of the bible. we have “Life, breath and being” we are our own to serve our selves, our families and those around us unhindered by the FEAR of a god who still wants us to be nothing without him.

You are correct, Kia, I would be remiss if I did not give a response to your comment.

I surmise you are referring to John 15: 14 – 16 when you refer to “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

In my family, at least, there is an old adage of which goes something like this. “a friend will never lie to you or for you.” One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverb 24:18. With all of these things in mind; let’s break them all down.

Christ, in John 15:14-16, is telling us this. [14] “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” [15] “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. [16] “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.…”

Christ has called His people by many names: sheep, followers, His flock, brethren, His children; amongst the many names He has called us “friend.” As in the case of Proverb 24: 18 “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

[14]: “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” Christ tells us the two greatest commandment are [1}: “Love the Lord thy God with all of your Heart, Mind, Body and Spirit.” and, [2] “Love thy neighbor as thy self.” Who are my neighbors? It is the poor, the hungry, the weary, the naked and the broken of spirit. He commands us to feed them; cloth them, to visit those in jails and hospitals and up lift them. These are commands given by a Sovereign LORD to those who love Him and serve Him and follow Him. He [Christ] refers to them as His children and tells us “what you have done unto the least of these you have done unto Me”. For this is what Christ calls [bearing] “good fruit”. When asked by the rich man, “Master, what shall I do to inherit the Kingdom of God?” Christ responds “give away all you have and follow Me.” It was a command of which the rich man could not do and thus turned from being a follower of Christ.

15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” Psalm 25:14. Recall my family adage? “A friend will neither lie to you or for you.” Christ shared the Good News with everyone. Just as He had learned it from the Father. Christ gives to His followers what has become known as the Great Commission;” “Go into all of the lands, teaching the Gospel of Christ, and make disciples of men.” This too is a command of which Christ commands of all His followers. These are all commands given to His servants; those in bondage to Christ as our sovereign LORD. “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” John 17:8.

[16] “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.…” John 15:5 [Christ] tells us: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Now before we embark upon a discussion on morality and morals, let me say that everyone [even unbelievers] are capable of, and often do, good works. They give to the needy, they feed the hungry and give to the poor. Yet, good works are not the cause of salvation, but the results of salvation. Being of good moral character does not make you a friend of, or a servant to, Christ our Lord and Savior. Without Christ you will never see the Kingdom, Kia.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours always, Kia.

We are not slaves. We are not ‘nothing’ without God. We have value and dignity and worth in our own.
‘The kingdom’ you speak of, is not what you think it is, nor do any of us truly know what lies beyond. ‘Faith is pretending to know things you don’t and can’t rightly know’

Whether, or not, you like the word(s) “slave” or “slavery” we are all in bondage to something. For some it may be our jobs, our families and friends, cigarettes, alcohol, sex or our own preconceived notions of what we believe. We are all slaves to something. Something is always holding us in it’s grasp. And, to that end, we are all it’s slave.

I have never said you “are without worth or value” and “should not possess dignity”. My being a Christian entitles me to no more worthiness, value or dignity than an unbeliever. Especially in the eyes of God. I am almost certain, at times, God looks at me, shakes His head and asks “why do I bother with him?” But then God doesn’t see people as people see people…. and that’s a good thing. Because if God saw me and judged me as people see me and judge me – I would be condemned. Pure and simple. It is by Grace that I am set apart.

You said: “‘The kingdom’ you speak of, is not what you think it is, nor do any of us truly know what lies beyond.” I would have to agree with you. I don’t know “precisely” what lies beyond. Christ tells us “In My Father’s house there are many mansions and I go to prepare one for you”. Now personally? I don’t care if He places me in a one room shack at the other end of Heaven as long as I am there and able to speak with Him daily. And, whatever vocation He places me in, whether cleaning up after the Angels or polishing the clouds, I don’t care. I’ll do it with gladness just to be there.

Now your definition of “Faith,” Faith is ‘pretending to know things you don’t and can’t rightly know’, I do not agree with. If what you mean instead is I have “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” then “Yes” I have faith.

And Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not historical. They are cultural myths. Stories created to give Unity of social and political identity to a people who were once just as polytheistic and barbarous as all the other dwellers of ancient Palestine.

Kia;
You say: “And Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not historical. They are cultural myths.” Is this the equivalent of saying none of the three existed? When you say they are [a] myth are you saying they are representative of other mythological characters of Greece and Roman culture as an example? How do you qualify this? For if you are right then we have a lot of explaining to do.

Now how I see it is:
Abraham learned the hard way that manipulating circumstances to gain a desired result can bring heartache. The Lord had promised him and Sarah a child, but the couple was still waiting for that blessing when they were elderly. Already in her 80s, Sarah [a Hebrew] suggested that Abraham get an heir by having a child with her servant Hagar [an Arab]. The result was jealousy, family strife, and a bloody conflict that still rages today between the descendants of Hagar’s son Ishmael and Sarah’s son Isaac.

Now here is the dilemma..
Arabs {Muslims] believe Ibrahim ibn Azar [pronounced ibraːˈhiːm], known as Abraham in the Hebrew bible, is recognized in Islam as a prophet and apostle of God (Arabic: [[Allah|الله‎]] Allāh) and patriarch of many peoples. In Muslim belief, Abraham fulfilled all the commandments and trials which God tried him with over his lifetime. As a result of his unwavering faith in God, Abraham was promised by God to be a leader to all the nations of the world. The Quran extols Abraham as a model, an exemplar, obedient and not an idolater. In this sense, Abraham has been described as representing “primordial man in universal surrender to the Divine Reality before its fragmentation into religions separated from each other by differences in form”.

The Islamic holy day Eid al-Adha is celebrated in memory of the bravery of Abraham, and Muslims perform the pilgrimage to pay homage at the Kaaba which they believe Abraham had set up and reformed.

Muslims believe that the prophet Abraham became the leader of the righteous in his time and it was through him that the people of both Arabia and Israel came. Abraham, in the belief of Islam, was instrumental in cleansing the world of idolatry at the time. Paganism was cleared out by Abraham in both Arabia and Canaan. He spiritually purified both places as well as physically sanctifying the houses of worship. Abraham and Ismail (Ishmael) further established the rites of pilgrimage, or Hajj, which are still followed by Muslims today. Muslims maintain that Abraham further asked God to bless both the lines of his progeny, of Ismail (Ishmael) and Ishaq (Isaac), and to keep all of his descendants in the protection of God. They also believe that Muhammad is a descendant of Abraham through Ishmael. And, he probably is if the genealogical records of Abraham are accurate.

Here lies the problem. It was customary of the time for the eldest son to inherit the estate of the father. In this case it would have been Ishmael born of Hagar. Part of the estate was all of the land promised to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant. But God gave the inheritance to Isaac which has for centuries upset the whole entire Arabic culture. To this day Palestinians believe the Lands of Israel belong to them.

If, as you say, Abraham was a myth or mythological character then he could not have produced sons with Hagar or Sarah. Unless of course as a mythological character he conceived them through yet another immaculate conception. Which of course turns the entire Muslim and Christian faith upside down.

Yet, you say, only Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were myths or mythological. What does this say about, or leave, Ishmael? If Abraham, being a myth, could not conceive a child then who is Ishmael’s biological father? If Abraham were Ishmael’s biological father and was a mythological character as you say – then you most certainly are advocating it by immaculate conception. Something I assure you Muslims will not endorse.

No, I think that history in on the side of Muslims and Christians here. But I thank you for your comments. They are appreciated.

1 Trackback or Pingback for this entry:

[…] [Is] “God our Master” ? by altruistico considers The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-20) [Psalm 123:1-4]. observes what the story has to say about our relationship with God. The story compares us to God’s servants, slaves in that day and age. Since we like to see ourselves as free, that is quite disturbing. […]